The Generation Of The Liger
by three kowtows
Summary: B(i)/L. Ch2: First Battle: Bit has a chance to get into the Blitz Team, all of which depend on this one fight! Will he make it and remain as the pilot of the Liger, or will he not? Rated PG-13 for language. Please R/R, thanks to those who do!
1. Liger Zero, Released

*****The Generation Of The Liger: Liger Zero, Released*****  
  
Disclaimer: Zoids isn't mine!! If it was, I would've shot a certain baka who said he hates it. [Look, Drew! I mentioned you in one of my fics again!]  
  
Author's Note: I haven't seen too much of the series, but I've seen a few shows, so this isn't following story line *exactly*, but it's going to be very similar at many parts most likely.  
  
Story Gender: Action/Adventure/Romance  
Rated: PG-13  
Rated For: Some language, that's about it!  
Creation Date: 12/10/01  
Length: I can only guess now, since I haven't completed it yet ::*no duh!!* but I think it's going to be a few chapters.  
Key:  
::*[message]*:: = Character's Thoughts  
[message] = Change of scenary, time, etc.  
  
*****  
  
"The area within an 15 mile radius is a designated Zoid Battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. The Toxin Team versus the Blitz Team. Battle Mode 0982. Ready...FIGHT!"  
  
"Let's GO!!"  
  
Leon charged his Shield Liger forward, Leena's Dibison and Brad's Command Wolf following behind. The three green GunSnipers in front of them split into different directions, only one remaining in the center for several seconds to fire off several shots, then turning around to begin a run up a long hill.  
  
The Command Wolf bounded after the Gun Sniper that trekked up the rocky mountain while Leena and Leon each went their own way, pursuing after the remaining opponents.  
  
"Brad! You won't reach the Gun Sniper in time, they'll get you too quickly. Just go assist Leena with the Gun Sniper, then you three can regroup to go after the one of the mountain!" shouted Jamie's voice over the radio in Brad's Zoid as a small frame of his face popped up on the window.  
  
The man nodded in response and spun his Zoid around, running past Leena's slower Dibison to curve around, lunging for the Gun Sniper's side.  
  
The Sniper spun, dodging easily, and fired off several rounds at the Command Wolf. A stray shot came close to hitting the Dibison, but it moved as it whizzed past. The Wolf was hit twice, but the rest were evaded.  
  
"Brad! Move!" yelled Leena as she had the Dibison stance itself. The Zoid leaned back and jerked forward, ten missiles exploding from its shoulders to spiral towards the Sniper. The Gun Sniper turned and opened its mouth in a shocked roar as it was hit; the Zoid flew backwards and smashed through several trees.  
  
"Good job, Leena."  
  
[One mile to the West of Leena and Brad.]  
  
Leon charged at the Gun Sniper who occasionally spun to fire a mini-missile at his Shield Liger, who dodged with ease. Slowly, the Zoid powered up from a jog to a sprint, coming up behind the Gun Sniper to run beside it. With a roar, it jetted forward with an extra burst of speed and spun around to leap at the Gun Sniper, claws raised. The opponent's Zoid jerked back and tried to turn but couldn't; blades connected with steel and sliced through it, an arm of the Gun Sniper slowly slipping off as the rest of the Zoid collapsed, crashing on the ground with a deafening impact.  
  
Leon Torros pumped his fist in the air as two windows of Brad and Leena appeared on his screen.  
  
"Awesome, bro!! Now let's go for that other one!"  
  
The three Zoids all turned to head for the center of the field, where the mountain stood. They soon met up, a distance away from the mountain itself, and ran back into a wood that would hopefully cover them from enemy fire.  
  
"Leena, stay here and cover us. Me and Brad will go after the Gun Sniper," commanded Leon as his Zoid surged forward, out of the clearing, to charge towards the hill.  
  
"Roger that!" yelled Leena as her Zoid ran behind Brad's and stopped at the edge of the forest, as Brad's Command Wolf continued on to run behind Leon.  
  
A shot erupted from the top of the mountain, narrowly missing Leon's Shield Liger who dodged to the side, a growl escaping from its jaws. The Dibison turned to look up. Leena grabbed the gun controls of her Zoid and launched round after round of missiles, all the while smirking as she laughed.  
  
The missiles came into impact with the top of the steep cliff, dust barreling up after each hit. After several seconds, the smoke cleared; the Gun Sniper still stood tall on the edge of the mountain.  
  
"What?!? No way!! I used up almost all my ammo for that attack!!!!" Leena wailed as she slammed her fist down on the control panel.  
  
Brad rolled his eyes as he spurned his Zoid on, running up one side of the cliff while Leon's sprinted up the other. Suddenly, the Gun Sniper on his radar blinked out.  
  
"What the...? *Leon!* Watch your back!!"  
  
The Sniper stood on the ground, looking up at the Shield Liger as it fired off a single missile which hit the Zoid powerfully in the back. With a deafening roar, the Liger toppled over backwards, sliding down the hill to crash on the ground, pieces of the machinery blasting off its main body as it hit.  
  
Leena stared at the near-destruction of her brother's Zoid then fired off another volley of shots at the opposing Gun Sniper, all the while cursing angrily. The Sniper easily spun around the wild firings and shot off a missile of its own, hitting Leena's Dibison in the shoulder.  
  
The Dibison toppled over, leaving only the Command Wolf standing.  
  
Brad could hear the frustrated screams of Leena and the beeping of her Zoid as its control panel stated in a robotic voice, over and over again; "Command System Frozen."  
  
He turned and felt his Zoid surge to the side as a missile flew past, slamming into a large boulder and exploding. His Command Wolf growled, deep in his throat as the Sniper turned to run up towards the hill again. That's where it made its mistake; it should've known that it wouldn't be fast enough to escape the jaws of a infuriated Zoid with its owner. The Zoid sped forward and leapt, its jaws snapping as it bit into the tail of the Gun Sniper. The Sniper was yanked down and the tail started to strain with the pressure, until a claw came up to slash it, the metal getting cut.  
  
The Command Wolf roared its victory as the robotic voice of the judge echoed throughout the field.  
  
"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is... The Blitz Team!"  
  
*****  
  
"Is he okay?"  
  
Leena leaned over the bed slightly as she stared at Leon, his right arm in a sling and his forehead wrapped with a bandage.  
  
"Yes, he broke an arm and got some cuts in the forehead, that's about it. The injuries should be healed in maybe a month or two."  
  
Jamie turned back to the screen, watching the Zoids carefully as the rest of the Blitz team hovered around Leon Torros, each fairly upset. A door slid open and Doc Torros strode in, immediately walking up to his son's bed. He looked down at Leon's face, then looked up again, sighing.  
  
"He always pushes himself too far," he stated simply, shaking his head.  
  
Jamie suddenly jumped up from the control panel of the Hover Cargo, pointing to one of the screens as he pushed back several strands of black hair from his eyes.  
  
"What the heck is *that*!?"  
  
Brad stood from his chair by Leon's bed, which was occupied by Leena after he walked forward to stand next to Jamie, resting his hands on the panel as he eyed the screen on the damaged Dibison carefully. His eyebrow arched as a large truck blinked into visibility as a form shuffled through the damaged parts of the Zoid, stopping every once in awhile to pick up and piece and throw it into the back of the vehicle.  
  
Doc Torros came up beside the two confused boys, his eyes widening as he saw the picture.  
  
"Brad, get out there on your Command Wolf! If you're not there soon, we can say goodbye to several hundred dollars of Zoid parts," the man muttered, annoyed.  
  
The man nodded in response and sprinted out of the control room to the hanger, climbing up the side of the Command Wolf to crawl into its cockpit. Steel creaked and metal turned as a large door slid open, the Command Wolf lunging out.  
  
"Better be ready for some ass kicking, kid."  
  
*****  
  
Bit Cloud slowly lugged a large gun launcher towards the back of his truck. Suddenly, the piece of equipment slipped and hit him on the foot. He howled, hopping around as he held his foot with both hands, then stopped, sighing irritably as he glared at the Dibison.  
  
"What's with you and your equipment?! Don't like me?"  
  
Bit picked up the gun launcher again and started to push it into the truck when a shadow appeared to loom over him. He blinked, then continued working, thinking it was just a cloud over the sun. When it didn't move, he rolled his eyes and turned.  
  
The Command Wolf Zoid stood over him, glaring down from its height. A voice spoke loudly to him from within it.  
  
"Drop it!! Start walking towards that Hover Cargo, and don't stop unless you want me to test out some of this Zoid's weaponry."  
  
The golden-haired teenager gaped at the Zoid, a sweatdrop coursing down the side of his head as he whacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand as he shuffled towards the Blitz Team's Cargo.  
  
::*You wait until the Hover Cargo leaves, *then* you take the stuff! Damn, busted!!*::  
  
[Inside the Hover Cargo...]  
  
Brad pushed Bit roughly into the room, pointing to a chair, commanding him to sit. Bit complied reluctantly, a look of confusion on his face. Leena turned, his fiery red hair whipping into her face as she brushed it away, and stomped up to the blonde-haired teen.  
  
"What you were doing with *my* Zoid??!! If you messed it up or took anything I'm gonna punch you!!" she shouted as she made a fist and shook it in his face.  
  
Bit reddened, then retorted angrily "Not like it had anything worth taking! That Zoid is a piece of crap!!"  
  
"Why, you!!"  
  
Leena tackled Bit and started punching him furiously with her fists as she pinned him down by sitting on his chest. He yelped and tried to block several of the attacks, but still ended up getting hit in the face several times.  
  
Brad stepped forward and pried Leena off of the injured adolescent, yanking her arms behind her as she screamed for him to let go. Doc and Jamie paled slightly, shaking their heads as the two continued arguing.   
  
"Yeah well, at least I know how win a Zoid battle!!"  
  
"You know how, but you always get out of the match before you do anything helpful because you never watch what you are doing!!"  
  
After several minutes of this, Doc Torros stepped between the two, shoving them apart.  
  
"Enough of this. I didn't call him in here for you to insult him, Leena," he spoke, glancing at his daughter, sternly. He turned, nodding to the newcomer, who was scratching the back of his head nervously. "What's your name, anyways?"  
  
"Bit Cloud, at your service! Could I interest you in some Zoid parts? I have everything from Shoulder Blades to Gun Launchers!"  
  
"That's because you stole the Gun Launchers off of *my* Dibison!!" shrieked Leena shrilly, straining to escape Brad's hold as she glared at Bit, who glared back, sticking his tongue out.  
  
Jamie sighed, and stood, sitting on a couch a short distance away.  
  
Doc turned to Bit again.  
  
"Well, I don't really know what we can do with you, considering you almost stole some of Leena's Zoid parts--"  
  
"That's right!!"  
  
"--so you'll just have to stay in the garage for the night while I think it over."  
  
The fiery-haired girl let out a whoop and stuck her tongue out back at Bit Cloud, who's face fell at the mention of where he was to stay the night. Brad stepped up behind him and lightly tied both of his hands together, saying it was an extra security measure, then led him down to the Zoid's hanger.  
  
[Later that night...]  
  
Leena wandered quietly into the hanger, holding the tray of food with both hands as she glanced around. Her Dad had decided that she'd be the one to take the food to the new kid, and she didn't really care to do it, but did, understanding that Brad and Jamie were busy, and that Leon wasn't able to.   
  
A small snore echoed through the dark hanger, and the girl turned, looking for its source. Laying on the ground, on his stomach, was Bit, his face turned to the side. A second snore escaped his mouth and he twitched, the ropes around his wrists straining. Leena sighed and walked over to him, bending down next to his ear.  
  
"*Wake up*!!!!!!!!" she yelled.  
  
The blonde adolescent jolted up, yelling, and toppled over backwards as Leena shoved the food tray towards him. He blinked, looking at the food, then back up at the person who'd brought them.  
  
"Thanks, but... Can't you at least untie my hands so I can eat?"  
  
Leena crossed her arms and shook her head quickly, smirking slightly as she heard his barely audible sigh. He leaned forward and grabbed a carrot stick between his teeth and gulped it down, as Leena turned to leave the hanger to Bit and his food.  
  
The teen was almost finished with the plate of food that had been given him when Leon strode in to stand in front of him, looking down at the youth from his height. Bit looked up to mumble at him, his mouth full, then turned back to his food.  
  
"So I see Leena didn't feel too happy about giving you the food," he stated, a half-smile appearing on his lips.  
  
Bit looked up again and swallowed, then nodded. "She hates me, I'm sure of it. But that's okay, not everyone is going to love me."  
  
The blonde adolescent turned down and grabbed another piece of food between his teeth, flipping it up into his mouth while Leon looked on in amusement.  
  
Bit finished chewing and gulped down the food, then turned slightly, looking at the Zoids that stood around him. Leon shifted his right arm in the sling as he watched the younger teen examine the Zoids, then spoke.  
  
"So, what were you doing out there. You were going for our parts, but why?"  
  
"I'm a traveler. and a junk-dealer. I make my way by going places, sellin' the parts I pick up from busted Zoids off battlefields. I thought the Dibison had been abandoned, and I knew it was still good so I went after its parts, knowing the pay off in the end would be pretty good."  
  
"A traveling junk-dealer, huh. Sounds like an interesting profession."  
  
Bit flashed a white-toothed grin as he bent his head down, nodding slightly.  
  
"It is. I wasn't going to wander forever, though. After I got some good parts, I was going to make a partner for fighting, my own Zoid. It'd be perfect, and would have all the works. We'd be an unbeatable team," he answered, a flush of excitement rising in his cheeks as he envisioned the Zoid.  
  
Leon Torros laughed quietly, raising his head as he leaned back a wall of boxes filled with equipment. He lowered his head once again to look directly at Bit.  
  
"A perfect Zoid, huh? That'd be pretty tough to make, and even more to handle. I'd like to see it sometime, if you ever make one. Or if you ever found one," he added thoughtfully, his eyes unfocusing from the younger teen's form to look at the Zoids that stood in the hanger.  
  
"All of the Zoids we have have their own strong points, which are either displayed or held back, depending on their pilot's abilities. The Zoid performs its best when it can connect with its human, and when they each understand each other..." Leon's voice faded off as he noticed Bit watching him strangely.  
  
Bit Cloud shrugged slightly, then turned his head to motion towards a large Zoid that stood silently in a far corner of the hanger. The Zoid, a pure white lion, stood taller than the Command Wolf, fangs and claws also longer.  
  
"Just wonderin'.. What Zoid is that, it's a beauty."  
  
Leon shook his head, a half-smile appearing across his lips.  
  
"That's the Liger Zero. It may look great, but it's pretty much useless in battle. We've had it around forever, and everytime one of us tries to use it, it disobeys us entirely. We can't even get it to do a simple command. What's more, the thing is one of the rarer Zoids out there, it's an Ultimate, so it's almost impossible to get parts for unless we want to spend a hefty amount of money."  
  
Throwing back blonde locks with a flip of his head, Bit continued to stare at the Zoid, obvious interest in his gaze.  
  
The son of Doc Torros sighed, then turned, walking out of the hanger.  
  
"I have to go talk with the others about our next fight. Have a nice sleep, see you tomorrow."  
  
The sound of his boots clicking on the ground faded out into the distance as the boy walked down the hall, out of the garage. Bit looked after him for several minutes, then turned, bending his head down as his mind argued within. Shrugging, he leaned back, looking around him, then noticed the sharp edge of a steel support that stood, only several feet away. He crawled backwards until the rope was against the edge, then started pushing it back until the rope finally snapped, releasing his hands. Bit looked at both of his hands and stretched them, then stood, shaking out his legs as he walked towards the Liger Zero.  
  
He soon came to a stop by an unmoving paw of the Zoid, and climbed up its side, until he stood on its head. The boy stared at it for several seconds, then spoke, sheepishly.  
  
"So, you've been in here for a pretty long time, huh? Pretty boring, I guess."  
  
A voice seemed to echo within him as he thought he heard a response, but wasn't sure. Bit continued talking anyways, making sound to fill the void of silence.  
  
"I wouldn't be able to stand it if I was locked up all the time, I'm not the type who'd be able to just deal with the small old crap all the time, I need action," he commented.  
  
There was a rumble beneath his feet as the Zoid slowly shifted. Bit held out both arms, trying to steady himself as he turned his head quickly to glance at the cockpit. The window of the cockpit had risen, and the control panel of the Zoid was now open to him.   
  
He stepped forward, hesitant, then continued on, crawling into the seat of the controls. The window slowly fell towards him, closing, and the lights flashed on the controls. Bit grabbed the seatbelt and slowly buckled it on, then placed his hands on the two controls that allowed him to control the Zoid.  
  
::*This is too good...*::  
  
With a roar, the Liger suddenly bounded forward, and Bit was thrown back in his seat, yelping. The Zoid shot forward and slammed through the metal walls of the hanger, out into the open as it leapt furiously, letting out snarls.  
  
"Woah, Liger!! *Slow it down*!!" shouted Bit as he hung onto the controls for dear life, his head whiplashing back with each step of the gigantic Zoid.  
  
"Liiiiiiiiiiger!!"  
  
*****  
  
Leena quickly finished off the remnants of her cup of noodles and ran for another, leaving the rest of the gang in the control room, as they discussed what to do with Bit.  
  
"I talked to him, and he doesn't seem that bad. I don't think we really have anything to worry about."  
  
Brad shook his head, eyes closed as he leaned back on the couch.  
  
"No. We can't trust someone who almost stole hundreds of dollars worth of parts. If he's willing to do it to us, why not some other Zoids?"  
  
A loud beep began to echo through the room as a red light flashed from its seat on the wall. Jamie jumped up and ran to the controls as Doc also stood, following after.  
  
The black-haired boy sat down in the control seat and began typing quickly on the panel as several screens popped up, giving them a visual as the rest of the team (all but Leena, that is) crowded around.  
  
"What the..? Why isn't Liger Zero inside the hanger!" muttered Jamie under his breath as he switched to the visual of the Zoid.  
  
"No way!!"  
  
A screen of Bit's face popped up on the window, yelling as he grabbed more tightly onto the controls.  
  
At this time, Leena stepped out of the kitchen with her second cup of soup, and walked over to the rest of the team, standing behind them. She leaned forward over Jamie's head, spilling some of the hot water on him as he yelped, and then shrieked at the sight she saw.  
  
"Why in the *hell* is that stupid kid in the Liger Zero!!!!" she yelped, turning around to slam the cup of noodles down on the table.  
  
Bit's face turned as he suddenly noticed the screen and the several eyes watching him. He grinned warily as a sweatdrop slowly slipped down the side of his head, him raising a hand to wave.  
  
"Hey guys! So happy that you're so glad to see me, babe,"  
  
Leena yanked Jamie's head back as she shoved her face to the front of the monitor.  
  
"Don't call me babe!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, infuriated.  
  
"Right, right," he mumbled, turning his attention back to the Liger as he whooped.  
  
Leon shook his head, grinning slightly.  
  
::*I should've known....*::  
  
"Bit! Try to get that Zoid back in here, will you?" Doc Torros spoke after getting Leena away from the screen.  
  
Bit nodded in response and the screen clicked off, the last sound being heard being the yelling of the blonde teen as he tried to stop the rampaging Zoid.  
  
Leon walked back to the couch and sat down, a smile still partially visible on his face. Brad eyed him skeptically, walking forward.  
  
"What're you smiling about?"  
  
Leon Torros looked up as his father and younger sister came over to stand behind Brad, each watching him as Jamie continued to mess with the controls.  
  
"Nothing... nothing at all."  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Okay, first chapter done, I think! Please review, 'caause.. Reviews are just good!! Also, feedback is helpful with the fic. If I totally screwed up anything, as in typos or just... I dunno.. stuff? Tell me in a review, because my email is a stoopidass. Thank yaz fer readin'!  
  
Note: Thanks to... umm.. the person that noticed the Shadow Fox thing, heh.. I changed it on one draft on here, but I guess I forgot to post it. My bad again, woohoo! Anywho, thank yaz again. 


	2. First Battle

*****The Generation Of The Liger: First Battle*****  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it! It being Zoids! Blah.  
  
Author's Note: I got it up!! Up up up!! Oh yeah.. Thanks to review stuff. Yeah!  
  
*****  
  
Previous chapter...  
  
*****  
  
"What're you smiling about?"  
  
Leon Torros looked up as his father and younger sister came over to stand behind Brad, each watching him as Jamie continued to mess with the controls.  
  
"Nothing... nothing at all."  
  
*****  
  
Bit coughed as he felt the Zoid jerk one last time as it pulled its head back and let loose an ear-shattering roar, then came to a rest in the hanger. The cockpit slid open and he fell out, gasping, as he lightly patted Liger Zero on the head.  
  
"Thanks for the ride, buddy, but next time, try to be a little more gentle, will ya'?"  
  
Catching his breath, he pulled himself off the Zoid and climbed down the ladder, hearing the glass window slide back over. He jumped off the bottom rung of the ladder then dusted himself off as he looked up at the quiet Leon. He nodded to him and followed the older teen back to the main room, where the rest of the Blitz Team was waiting.  
  
As soon as he entered, Leena glared at him and Jamie fell silent, eyebrows rising as Bit turned and sat himself. Leon grabbed a chair as Steve Torros, Doc, stood, and addressed him.  
  
"Whatever happened in that hanger, I'd like to know sometime, but not now. I just can't understand how you got that Zoid to do anything; when any one of the Blitz Team members tried to battle with it, it didn't even move half of the time."  
  
Brad smirked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  
  
"Leon here says that you seem to be pretty good with it, and wants you to stick around for awhile and to maybe stay with us, to become a member of the team."  
  
Bit jumped up, pumping his fist in the air.  
  
"*Yes*!!! I'm so--"  
  
"--Don't get so excited, kid. You'll have to learn the ropes and it could get pretty tough," Brad interrupted, eyes looking up to examine the blonde teen.  
  
Jamie stood, walking to the side of the couch.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get ready for tomorrow's fight. It's going to be us against the Thunder Team, they've got a Ptera Striker, a Gun Sniper and a Shield Liger," he spoke, glancing at Leon as he mentioned the Shield Liger. "The battle is going to take place tomorrow, noon-time, means we'll have to actually be up at a time that's fresh and early for several of us." This time, Jamie glanced at Leena, who scowled at the mention of the time she'd have to get up.  
  
Doc Torros nodded, understanding.  
  
"Brad, you'll have to use your Command Wolf, and Leena, you'll be using your own Dibison, which should be relatively repaired enough by tomorrow. What are we going to do about the last fighter, though, with Jamie's Ptera Striker still in the works out and Leon with a broken arm?"  
  
Leon stepped up, smiling slightly.  
  
"I'm surprised it's not obvious. We'll just have to use Bit Cloud, here, with Liger Zero."  
  
Leena sighed, knowing it was the only way, but not liking it. She muttered as Bit stuck his tongue out at her behind Leon's back, and returned the favor by flipping him off with both hands.  
  
"Leena!"  
  
She blushed, quickly yanking her hands behind her back.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Doc Torros turned back to Leon, shaking his head after catching his daughter basically cussing at their newest crew member, at least tempoarily.  
  
"Well, alright, I suppose we have no choice in the matter."  
  
Bit silently cheered as a wide grin spread over his face, while Brad bent his head down, smirking slightly. He knew the kid would be overexcited, so hopefull.  
  
Leon turned and started heading back to his room, happy to know that the matter of who was going to fight was resolved, while Jamie turned to the computer, Doc coming up behind him.  
  
"I figure that we should have the Dibison go after the Ptera Striker, since the aerial unit will be easiest to hit with missiles, and the Shield Liger taken by the Command Wolf. That leaves the Gun Sniper for the Liger, should be simple enough."  
  
Jamie turned to glance at Bit, smiling slightly.  
  
"The Gun Sniper shouldn't be hard to take out at all, considering you've just started Zoid fighting."  
  
Bit muttered under his breath about being treated like a kid while Leena giggled. Doc stood, yawning.  
  
"It's time for you all to go to bed. We have a fight tomorrow, and getting no sleep won't help the matter," he stated as he turned, walking out of the room. The four teenagers stayed in the control room for several minutes, all remaining silent, until Jamie stood clumsily, the silence making him uncomfortable.  
  
"Good night, Brad, Leena, Bit," he nodded to each in turn, and left, Brad following close behind.  
  
Leena coughed to break the silence as Bit turned his head to the side, scratching the back of it uneasily. After several seconds of no sound whatsoever that seemed to last hours, both left to head in different directions, each mumbling a barely audible g'nite to the other.  
  
*****  
  
[Next Morning...]  
  
Bit sat up from his cot in the spare room, yawning loudly as he stretched out both arms. He smacked his lips several times as he stood and stretched again. It wasn't exactly comfortable sleeping in your normal day clothes, but it wasn't as bad as sleeping in your normal day clothes on top of the steering wheel of a truck whose break tended to slip off so that the truck would start rolling down the nearest hill. He let out a sigh of bliss.  
  
Thank God he screwed things up with the Dibison.  
  
The teen wandered out of his room after he'd slipped his boots back on, into the main control room where breakfast would probably be ready.  
  
He was right; the breakfast had been made and was near gone as Leena leaned forward sluggishly to grab the last of the doughnuts. Bit blinked and walked by her, whistling, then swiped his hand out to snatch it. After this, he ran like hell.  
  
"What.. the.. hey?!" Leena spoke, confused for several seconds. Soon, however, she realized what Bit had done and ran after him, yelling threats that revolved around her beating the crap out of him.  
  
Jamie sighed as the two ran in circles around the couch in the center of the room, while Brad leaned back, hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. Doc Torros was still getting up, and the room was left to the teenagers.  
  
"Bit, gimmie my food!!"  
  
"You ate everything else!"  
  
"It's *mine*!!!"  
  
"Yeah well not anymore!"  
  
"Don't you--"  
  
Bit shoved the doughnut into his mouth and kept running while Leena shrieked in anger.  
  
"You.. you.. you big jerk!!!"  
  
Jamie sighed again and leaned down, banging his head lightly against a desk. This daily routine was beginning to give him a headache. Finally, to his great relief, Steve Torros emerged from the main halls and the two fighting adolescents fell silent and nodded cheerfully to him.  
  
The man sat after greeting each member of the Blitz Team jubilantly, and then commenced to review the battle plans. He reminded each of those who were to fight; Brad, Leena and Bit; that they were to stick as closely to Jamie's battle tactics as possible. Jamie smiled slightly as he turned to his computer, typing furiously on the keyboard. Seeing his well-planned fights play successful on the field gave him something similar to a sugar rush.  
  
"All ready, you three?"  
  
The teens responded with a chorus of yes', which was enough to satisfy Doc.  
  
"Then move out!"  
  
Leena, Brad and Bit headed to the hangers, Brad in front as the other two argued behind. Fortunately, they only had a few minutes before they found themselves in their Zoids, preparing to launch.  
  
The platforms each turned, facing outwards as the ramp slid open.  
  
"Let's gooooo, Liger!"  
  
With a loud roar, the lion Zoid leapt from the ramp to run at a brisk pace to stand by the other two Zoids, Brad's Command Wolf and Leena's Dibison. The three other Zoids, the Ptera Striker, Shield Liger and Gun Sniper stood opposite them, each shifting in their place.  
  
A loud crash was heard from across the plains, a cloud of smoke billowing out from a small white capsule. The front of it opened to reveal a robotic judge, who waited, poised.  
  
"The area within an 20 mile radius is a designated Zoid Battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. The Thunder Team versus the Blitz Team. Battle Mode 0982. Ready...FIGHT!"  
  
A foghorn sounded, and the Zoids sped into action. The Thunder Team immediately seperated, each heading in different directions, while the Blitz Team followed, each Zoid going after its designated target.  
  
Leena pulled back on the controls of the Dibison, watching as the Ptera Striker soared higher into the air, curving to fire quickly at Brad.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" she yelled as she grabbed onto the Dibison's missile controls. Laughing crazily she was about to launch all of her ammo at the idling Zoid when she felt a massive impact from the back, her Zoid flopping over.  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
The Ptera Striker spun in midair, unharmed, as the Shield Liger ran past her, its head turning to watch her. Leena yelped and started yelling into the monitor at Brad, who didn't respond, instead hitting the ignore control. A window of Jamie popped up on his screen as he shook his head, obviously surprised.  
  
"Brad! How did that happen?!"  
  
The teen could hear the wails of Doc Torros in the background. Brad lifted his eyes, shaking a bit of brown hair out of them and shrugged slightly, face impassive.  
  
"I have no idea. One second he was there, the other he wasn't. I'm guessing he used cloaking on me, then accellerated so that he was behind Leena's Zoid. He must've known she was going for the Ptera, then took her out. Guess she shouldn't been paying more attention,"  
  
"*Paying more attention*!" screamed an agitated Leena from her Zoid as she heard Brad's response from the window of Jamie, which had a window of Brad pasted on it. She grumbled under her breath then folded both arms across her chest as the glared at the beeping words that constantly flashed across her screen; "Command System Frozen. Command System Frozen. Command System Frozen..."  
  
[Two miles north of Leena and Brad]  
  
Bit whooped as he ran after the Gun Sniper, who seemed to obviously care more about running then turning around and defending.  
  
"That's it, Liger, we'll catch up to them at this rate!"  
  
The Liger Zero sprinted faster so that it was eventually level with the Gun Sniper. The Sniper turned to look at it, then fired a quick shot which was easily dodged. Smirking, Bit shoved the controls forward as the Liger jumped into a powerful leap.  
  
"Take it out with your -- What the heck?!"  
  
The Liger leapt over the Gun Sniper and skidded to a stop, a low growl issuing from its throat.  
  
"Man, where are your weapons, buddy? Let me do a check on these.. Just make sure you don't get hit."  
  
This wasn't said to soon as a missile whistled past the Zoid's head to crash into a nearby tree, the wood exploding into flame immediately. Bit typed in a search on the control panel, then leaned forward to examine the results; None!  
  
He pulled back and blinked in disbelief. Sure, the Zoid was great but.. No weapons?  
  
"Liger.. Move!!"  
  
It jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a large arsenal of long range weaponry. Muttering, Bit smacked himself upside the head as he nudged the lion slowly forward.  
  
"Guess we'll just have to trick them into running into a wall, huh, Liger?"  
  
The Zoid roared in response, seemingly disagreeing. Bit Cloud shrugged in response as he replied "Whatever you say," then sent the Liger running back into the open at a full run.  
  
The Sniper had already disappeared. The Zoid and its pilot spun, searching the area then stopped, deciding upon impulse to return to wherever Brad was.  
  
"He's probably getting all the action," grumbled the young teen under his breath.  
  
[Two miles South of Bit]  
  
"No!"  
  
Brad slammed his fist down onto the panel as he was hit in the back by the Ptera Striker. He raised his head to glare at the Shield Liger who stood before him, seemingly prancing about. He should've watched for the other Zoid instead of just concentrating on one..  
  
::*Where in the hell is that kid.*::  
  
Bit arrived in time to see Brad's Command Wolf being shot down, and he froze his Zoid, staring. Two windows popped up on his screen, one of an agitated Leena, and a Brad who actually looked.. annoyed.  
  
"Bit!" they both yelled. The boy winced and grinned sheepishly at the pair.  
  
"Hey guys.. What's up?"  
  
A shot erupted next to the Zoid and Bit spun slightly in his seat as he was jerked forward. With a semi-apologetic grin he closed both windows and spun the Zoid to face the oncoming Ptera Striker, Gun Sniper and Shield Liger. He turned, realizing that he was surrunded.  
  
[In the Hover Cargo]  
  
"Oh.. no!!" Doc yelped into his hands as he turned to look down, his face covered as he leaned forward.  
  
Jamie stared at the screen in shook then shook his head as he began typing quickly on the keyboard, trying to record everything that had just taken place.  
  
Leena's Dibison was hit from the back by the Shield Liger. Brad's Command Wolf was shot in the side by the Ptera Striker. And Bit and his Liger were surrounded by all three opposing Zoids. Things couldn't get worse, and most definately couldn't get better.  
  
::*There goes my next paycheck.*::  
  
[Back on the Battle Field]  
  
Bit spun his Liger around in a circle, facing each of the Zoids. He stared wide-eyed as he heard the laughs from the other pilots. A screen of a man who seemed to be in his twenties popped up on the window, his face smiling cockily.  
  
"You want to do it the hard way, or the easy way, kid."  
  
The blonde-haired teen heard the cries of Jamie from his screen for him to surrender, but pride took over instead. He shook his head and flashed a smile, a smirk appearing on his lips.  
  
"We're doing it *my* way, buddy!"  
  
With a roar, Liger Zero launched into the air and landed outside of the circle of three Zoids, and turned into a sprint. The Ptera Striker spun in midair to speed after him as the two other Zoids pursued by land, neither gaining as Liger slowly sped up.  
  
A tactical solution to the problem formed, and Bit grinned slightly as he leaned forward, watching as they neared the perimeter of the battle field, a crevice which opened into a river below. He turned to look at the radar; as he had assumed, the Shield Liger and Gun Sniper were right on his tail. The boy turned to look ahead again, and muttered a command under his breath to the machine, who growled quietly in reply. The teen suddenly sat up, steadying himself as they neared the edge, then yanked back on the controls.  
  
The Gun Sniper let loose a loud cry of surprise as it turned its head to watch the Liger, its claws not catching on the ground as it slid in the loose gravel. The Zoid slid over the edge of the crevice and fell into the river, which wasn't too far below, but dealt enough damage to put the Sniper out of commission. The strategy didn't work with the Shield Liger and Ptera Striker, however; the Shield Liger had skidded to a stop before the ledge and was now running directly towards the Liger Zero.  
  
"Liger.. Move!"  
  
With a roar, the Zoid jumped powerfully upwards, over the opposing Zoid. It landed and spun, then turned, running to get back to the center of the field.  
  
"Good job, Liger!" shouted Bit happily, but soon became silent as he remembered the remaining Zoids. At least the score was more evened out; 2 - 1.  
  
[In the Hover Cargo]  
  
"No way, no way noo way!" Leena stomped angrily into the control room, followed by Brad who remained silent as usual.  
  
The control center was unusually silent, the only sound being the quiet sobs of Doc Torros as he tried to add up the costs of the damages.  
  
"$556... $589... And no prize money..." he choked out before flopping over on the desk, crying wildly into his arms.  
  
Jamie remained in front of the computer, not typing currently, but instead watching as he paled, his mouth hanging partially open. A large window of the Liger Zero covered the screen, as well as several others focused on the remaining enemy Zoids. Leena stood behind Jamie, looking up at the screen.  
  
"He's still up and going at it?" she questioned in amazement, while Brad snorted in the background as he sat down on the couch.  
  
The black-haired teen nodded, still in shock, as he sharpened the images on the screen.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, they had a shot at that money.  
  
[Back on the Battle Field]  
  
"Awesome!"  
  
The Ptera Striker's pilot had somehow managed to mess up in overconfidence, and had crashed into a nearby cliff. All that remained was the Shield Liger and Liger Zero, the latter turning to face its opponent.  
  
Bit Cloud leaned forward, staring at the Liger in front of him as he talked quickly to his own.  
  
"Okay, buddy, great job. You're gonna do it, we're a great team! Just--"  
  
He was cut off as the Shield Liger charged at him, the Liger Zero leaping to the side in response with a loud roar. The Shield Liger spun and turned to face him again, and stepped back slightly, launching out several blades in Bit's direction.  
  
"Uh oh... Heads up!!"  
  
The Liger Zero backed up quickly and turned, running out of range of the large blades that fell towards it, pinning themselves in the ground. The Shield Liger ran forward in response and began weaving between the fallen blades, which seemed difficult for the Zoid. A window suddenly popped up on the screen in front of Bit, several words flashing across it. The blonde-haired teen brushed back a strand of hair and looked at it, surprised.  
  
"What... What's this? Oh well, might as well give it a try! Come on Liger, let's go!"  
  
A loud roar erupted from the Zoid and it backed up several steps, then began charging towards the Shield Liger who was still in the process of manuevering through the blades.  
  
Bit leaned forward in his seat and yelled as he pulled back on the controls, the Liger leaping into the air, its claws glowing.  
  
"Strike..."  
  
The claws tracted out, sharpened.  
  
"Laser..."  
  
A golden glow surrounded each as the Zoid began to descend towards its opponent.  
  
"Claw!!!!"  
  
The claws came into contact with steel, and they sliced through the side of the Shield Liger, the machine slowly falling to the side with a loud squeal of metal. It collapsed on the ground as the Liger Zero slammed down, landing, its knees bent. It straightened, then pulled back its head to roar victoriously to the sky as the foghorn sounded again.  
  
"The battle is over, the battle is over! The winner.. The Blitz Team!"  
  
Bit Cloud jumped out of his seat as the glass shield slid off the top of the cockpit, both arms raised.  
  
"Yes!! We kick ass!"  
  
*****  
  
Doc Torros smiled happily, a dazed look on his face.  
  
"We... won..??"  
  
Leena continued to shake him excitedly as Brad stood nearby, leaning against the wall, silent.  
  
"Dad!! We kicked butt!!"  
  
Steve Torros grinned again then flopped over on the couch, passing out with stress. Jamie turned to look at him then sighed, shaking his head as he stood to stand by the couch, sitting in the middle. Brad and Leena sat on each side of him and waited until the Bit appeared in the hall, a large smile plastered over his face.  
  
"We are the best! We are undefeatable! We are cookin'!! Speaking of cooking, is dinner ready?"  
  
The firey-haired girl muttered profanities under her breath as the others sighed iritably, bending their heads.  
  
Bit looked around at them, confused.  
  
"What, what'd I say? No, really, what'd I do?"  
  
"Just leave it at that, Bit," replied Brad as he stood to move away from the others, one of which had already began fuming.  
  
Leon stood in the shadows of the darkened hall, watching the newest Blitz Team member raid the refridgerator of all its food. He smiled slightly as he turned, walking back towards the hanger. Bit could replace him. He had seen him fight, in a room farther from the others, and had seen the potential behind the big words and super-sized ego. Bit Cloud could make it with the Liger Zero, and the team wouldn't need him to help them anymore. Plus, he wanted to try and see what he could get out of the world, maybe take a shot at Bit's old life.  
  
Bit would be taking over his place, and he Bits'. All within the span of several days.  
  
Leon Torros turned slightly to look back, the voices of the team almost telling him to stay. But he wouldn't, he'd come back sometime, but he needed time to himself.  
  
With that, Leon was gone.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Ha, got another chapter up, and it's like.. semi-long. Sorry if parts of it seemed rushed, I wanted to get this out sometime in this millennium but I really wanna sleep, too.. It's like.. freakin' tomorrow.. as in its past midnight. Yeah. So, ja ne, I'll work s'more on this. 


End file.
